While
teenagers her age are biding their time dolling up ala Hannah Montana or
swooning over Edward Cullen, teen actress Bea Binene, 12, is busy perfecting
her fluid stances, kicks, and jumps in the Chinese martial arts, wushu. Barely
in her teens, Bea has come to understand the very beauty and essence of the
sport – not only is it training for the mind and body, wushu is training for
life.
Bea started her showbiz career in the talent search, StarStruck Kids, and has since appeared in various TV shows including hosting a segment in the GMA News and Public Affairs show, "Lovely Day." People might recognize her as Love Anover’s chubby-cheeked co-host, but that was six years ago. Now, Bea is a svelte teenager with a pretty face that can rival “tween” models and as much spunk as a young Zhang Ziyi.
“I first learned about wushu when I was seven. A wushu artist was on the set of "Lovely Day" to play a villain for one of our segments and I was in awe of his talent. He was using a straight sword while doing splits, aerial moves, and stances. I was like, ‘Wow! Gusto ko rin gawin yan!’” she narrated.
Bea eagerly looked for a Wushu training center shortly after that, but it was only until March of last year did she find Wushu Discovery Chinese Martial Arts Training Center, her current team, where she’s being trained by former wushu world champion, Mark Robert Rosales.
Wushu is composed of two disciplines: taolu or forms and sanda or sparring. Bea is currently training for taolu comprised of basic movements like stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps, and throws. She has recently competed at the 2010 National Wushu Championships held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where she took home a bronze medal for her san lu quan routine.
“Winning that medal was worth all the strenuous trainings and sore muscles. Before, my interest in wushu was fueled by both fascination and a desire to lose weight,” she quipped. “But now, after the nationals, I’m striving to fill our wall with medals and awards.”
Surely, training for wushu is not for the weak. Bea shared that their training usually starts with a 10-round jog, stretches, then working on their basic kicks and jumps. It’s the perfect exercise with quick results but just like any form of martial arts, one must commit to it first.
Bea started her showbiz career in the talent search, StarStruck Kids, and has since appeared in various TV shows including hosting a segment in the GMA News and Public Affairs show, "Lovely Day." People might recognize her as Love Anover’s chubby-cheeked co-host, but that was six years ago. Now, Bea is a svelte teenager with a pretty face that can rival “tween” models and as much spunk as a young Zhang Ziyi.
“I first learned about wushu when I was seven. A wushu artist was on the set of "Lovely Day" to play a villain for one of our segments and I was in awe of his talent. He was using a straight sword while doing splits, aerial moves, and stances. I was like, ‘Wow! Gusto ko rin gawin yan!’” she narrated.
Bea eagerly looked for a Wushu training center shortly after that, but it was only until March of last year did she find Wushu Discovery Chinese Martial Arts Training Center, her current team, where she’s being trained by former wushu world champion, Mark Robert Rosales.
Wushu is composed of two disciplines: taolu or forms and sanda or sparring. Bea is currently training for taolu comprised of basic movements like stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps, and throws. She has recently competed at the 2010 National Wushu Championships held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum where she took home a bronze medal for her san lu quan routine.
“Winning that medal was worth all the strenuous trainings and sore muscles. Before, my interest in wushu was fueled by both fascination and a desire to lose weight,” she quipped. “But now, after the nationals, I’m striving to fill our wall with medals and awards.”
Surely, training for wushu is not for the weak. Bea shared that their training usually starts with a 10-round jog, stretches, then working on their basic kicks and jumps. It’s the perfect exercise with quick results but just like any form of martial arts, one must commit to it first.
